Page 8 of Hidden By His Side

“Can you follow Summer home?” Ramiro’s fingers snaked around her wrist, squeezing in comfort when her gaze returned to him. “Make sure no one tails her?”

Diego agreed.

Summer didn’t protest. She never did. She understood that doing what he told her kept her safe, and her safety kept him sane.

He’d always appreciated that she never fought him in that way. It made things easier than they could have been. He wouldn’t have been able to handle it if she ever acted recklessly.

When she moved to follow Diego out, Ramiro squeezed her wrist instead of dropping it. Her lashes were still damp from the scare she’d had, but there was something else in her eyes, something that made him worry. “If you end up needing a place to stay, call me.”

“I will,” she said, but her voice sounded flat. She always was a shit liar.

“I mean it, Summer.” He squeezed again. “I want you safe. Don’t go home alone tonight.”

“I won’t. I’ll ask for help if I need it.” She smiled at him, and her smile looked a little smoother this time. “Don’t I always?”

That smile should have reassured him, but it didn’t. She was lying again, but this time she was lying to herself.

He watched her leave with Diego, wanting to snatch her up into his arms again instead.

Summer never asked for help; he had to bully her into accepting it. Her self-worth was tied to always being fine on the outside, no matter how much she was falling apart inside. Demanding attention was the worst thing she could do in her mind.

So Ramiro had learned to watch her closely and to step in when she began to spiral.

He needed to step in now.

Instead, there was a fucking body to deal with.

He should have made Diego handle that part, but he had his own toxic trait. How long had he been running away from taking what would be so easy to have? Summer was already his—his to ruin.

He sent off a text. If he was going to be miserable, he might as well share that misery with one of his men. It’d also make the cleanup go faster, so he’d be available if Summer called.

Chapter 3

It wasn’t Summer’s first time being exposed to the violence of Ramiro’s life, and she hoped it wouldn’t be her last.

Being threatened was terrifying, but when it led to being in Ramiro’s arms, she couldn’t regret it. She wished she could live in only those moments.

She’d promised herself she would help him more than he helped her, but the debt between them would never even out. How could you ever repay someone for saving your life?

“Are you even listening to me, Summer?”

Derek’s voice made her flinch back into the leather seat of his car. “Yes, of course,” she said, even though she hadn’t heard a word he’d said all night. She needed to do better.

“So that’s your answer? Yes?” Derek asked while he continued to drive them to his house.

Summer hesitated. “Yes.” Agreeing was the easier path. He’d get angry or hurt if she admitted she’d been distracted.

The hard ache that often took over her stomach returned. She pressed her hand over it, the material of her dress silkier than she was used to.

Derek’s hand covered her thigh, so close to her bare skin below the dress’s hem. He squeezed, the contact burning through the thin material. “I’m glad you’re wearing the dress I picked out. You look so sexy tonight.”

“Thanks,” she murmured, able to breathe easier when he removed his hand. She hated that she still reacted that way, even after so many years. She’d already had sex with him, but she still tensed up in these moments.

The ache in her stomach twisted into nausea. She swallowed her heated saliva, staring out through the windshield as she focused on breathing.

“You normally wear ug—” He coughed, rubbing at his jaw. “Uh, a different style, but this one really brings out your eyes.”

Summer’s awareness felt splintered, her mind slow to feed her snippets of his words. The dress. He was happy about the dress.

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